[gr8nurse4u]

Have you ever had a patient share a gem of their own medical wisdom with you ... and it just struck you as funny?

Today I had an older patient, 1st day post-op. He had an NG in place which was causing him considerable nasal irritation in addition to his abdominal surgery pain. He had started on Toradol earlier in the day for pain not covered by his other pain meds.

He said to me: "I'm allergic to the 'Torazone'. You know how you can tell if someone is allergic to a medication? Their nose is running like mine is, because when your allergic to a medicine, it gets excreted though your nose."

Though I managed to keep a straight face, I'm still grinning over that one.

I'd love to hear any funny bits of wisdom your patients may have shared with you!

Kimber

[kmchugh]

I once had a patient swear she was allergic to all forms of glucose. I didn't bother to ask her what her brain used for energy.

Kevin

[Katana]

Well, this wasn't a patient but.....

Many years ago when our visiting policies were way stricter than they are now... No one under the age of 14 is allowed to visit....

I had a very young patient who had just had hernia surgery... okay, that does date me a bit cause we used to keep them in at least over night.... any way.....


He was still pretty sedated and groggy and none too comfy. The patient's Dad was stopped at the nurse's station because he had a newborn infant in his arms. The baby was less than 6 weeks old!

I was the charge nurse and told him that the baby was not allowed on the unit as he was definitely under the age for 14 years. The father was insistant that the patient wanted to see his son, the baby. (yeahhhh riiiggghht, the patient was in drugged and trying to sleep by this time) I explained that we had many different types of very nasty infections on the unit to which he replied, "Babys can't catch germs.... They can only give them."

DUH!!!!

Unfortunately, he got so rude that I called security and escorted him off the unit, telling him that he is welcome back but without his grandchild.

Takes all kinds to make a world. heeheheh

Kat

[micro]

You don't know what you are doing and you call yourself a nurse..........
if my heart does that kerplunk thing.......then I take a crumple(break my pill up with a spoon) and I feel all better.........
well you know when I was 48, I got this shot for.......and ever since then I couldn't walk......(pt. now 86+++ and no history to the earlier evidence)
if I get anxious, then well you know the dr. has prescribed this nerve pill, but what does he know........so I just mush it up and then take just a smidgen' and then I am fine.........

and micro asks what is a smidgen.........
hehehehehehhehehehehhehehe

gotta laugh

[AIS52]

Patient S/P CABG says to me,

"I'm going to start eating more oatmeal. They say it sticks to your ribs and I think the extra lubrication will make it hurt less when I cough."

Wow!

[cheerfuldoer]

I once had an elderly Japanese patient who loved to make jokes and have the nurses rolling in laughter all the time. While doing his A.M. care one day, I said to him: Mr. Watanabe, how do I get rid of geckos? He said, "Buy an Iguana!" Then, he laughed that infamous laugh of his while I died laughing. Loved that patient! He no doubt has passed on into a better life by now since he was pretty close to 90 in 1988 when I cared for him.

One other patient I cared for was a 4 year old who had sickle cell. I took his meds in to his room for him to take, and he refused to take them. I said, Superboy, how do you expect to become as strong as your daddy if you don't take your medicine? My little Superboy said, "Superman doesn't need any pills to stay strong, and I don't either!" Lesson one: Never ask a four year old a question if you don't want them to reduce you to about two inches in height.

[BjOnrs]

Relatives can be your WORST patients. They think they have knowledge of medicine because they are related to you and should have "Special" treatments and procedures from you. One of mine called me after being discharged from the hospital for a dx of pneumonia and proceeded to talk on and on and on about how she couldn't breathe. I nicely told her if she couldn't breathe well maybe she shouldn't be talking so much on the telephone. She ignored this and asked me could I run by her house and "Do a trach on me so I can breathe better" and then added "I have some straws that I know would be big enough." It was all I could do to keep from laughing in her face and saved myself by explaining that I didn't have time right now I was on my way to work and maybe she should just call her doctor with that request. LOL Pillow therapy is sounding good. LOL

[micro]

Renee...........you are so right......never ask a patient a ????? if you can't follow their answer.......
BjOnrs........you are very perceptive.............you can not always be a nurse when it comes to those closest to you .......... and that is k'

[betts]

My husband was just coming out of anesthesia after back surgery in the hospital, and I was sitting at his bedside. His eyes fluttered open, and he murmured, "You're beautiful."
Flattered, I continued my vigil while he drifted back to sleep. Later he awoke and said, "You're cute."

"What happened to 'beautiful'?" I asked him.

"The drugs are wearing off," he replied.

[hunter]

I work in maternity and one new mother informed me today that if you put vaseline on a newborns face and espeacially his mouth then he won't be hungry as often.